Fishing reel, braking force control system and braking force setting device

ABSTRACT

A fishing reel includes a spool capable of winding a fishing line, a spool brake that brakes the spool, and a spool braking force controller capable of controlling braking force from the spool brake, wherein the spool braking force controller is configured to have a receiver capable of receiving an instruction from an external device, and to set braking force based on the instruction as to the braking force received by the receiver from the external device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/181,633, filed on Feb. 22, 2021, which claims priority to JapanesePatent Application No. 2020-143233 filed on Aug. 27, 2020, thedisclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to a fishing reel, a braking force controlsystem including fishing reels and a braking force setting device thatcan adjust braking force upon casting.

BACKGROUND

Conventionally, when casting objects such as lures, fishing lines,weights, and fishing hooks to a distance using a double-bearing reel, abraking device that brakes a spool is often provided to prevent backlash(line entanglement) upon casting. In such a braking device, the objectscan be cast the farthest when the braking force is optimized, but toolarge a braking force results in a reduction in flying distance, whiletoo small a braking force results in backlash. The braking force may beoptimized differently depending on the type of fishing tools used suchas the weight of the lure to be cast, air resistance, the type of thefishing line, and the characteristics of the rod and, also, depending onthe user's casting method, and weather conditions such as wind. The userneeds to adjust the braking force during use by trial and error.

For example as the fishing reel, Japanese Patent Application PublicationNo. 2007-135417 discloses a spool braking device of a double-bearingreel for braking a spool that is used for casting, and is rotatablyattached to a reel body, and to which a fishing line is attached,including a spool braking means provided on the spool and the reel body,and electrically and controllably brakes the spool, a first operationtool movably provided on the reel body and can be moved to a pluralityof first operation positions, a second operation tool movably providedon the reel body and can be operated to a plurality of second operationpositions, and a spool control means that electrically controls thebraking force of the spool braking means according to the firstoperation position of the first operation tool and the second operationposition of the second operation tool.

However, in the configuration according to Japanese Patent ApplicationPublication No. 2007-135417, the braking force is changed by only twooperation tools, and there is a problem that it is practically difficultto make more detailed settings of the braking force. Further, ifdetailed settings are to be made by further increasing the number ofoperation tools, the fishing reel becomes larger in size and, therefore,it is also problematic to increase the number of operation tools.Moreover, as the user has difficulty accurately grasping the lastcasting results when searching for the optimum casting conditions, it isproblematic to find the optimum casting conditions.

It could therefore be helpful to provide a fishing reel, a braking forcecontrol system, and a braking force setting device that can easily makedetailed settings of braking force and can accurately control castingconditions.

SUMMARY

I thus provide:

A fishing reel includes a spool capable of winding a fishing line, aspool brake (spool braking unit or spool braking portion) that brakesthe spool, and a spool braking force controller (spool braking forcecontrolling unit or spool braking force controlling portion) capable ofcontrolling braking force from the spool brake, wherein the spoolbraking force controller is configured to have a receiver (receivingunit or receiving portion) capable of receiving an instruction from anexternal device, and to set braking force based on the instruction as tothe braking force received by the receiver from the external device.

The braking force control system may be configured to have aninformation communication device including the fishing reel describedabove, a braking force setting portion (braking force setting unit)capable of setting the braking force of a spool, and a transmitter(transmission unit or transmission portion) that transmits informationon the set braking force.

The braking force setting device may include a spool brake that brakesthe spool, a spool braking force controller capable of controllingbraking force from the spool brake, a rotation detector (rotationdetecting unit or rotation detecting portion) of the spool, a castingcommencement detector (casting commencement detecting unit or castingcommencement detecting portion), a calculator (calculating unit orcalculating portion) that calculates casting results from a rotationhistory of the spool after the commencement of casting, and a brakingforce setting portion capable of setting the braking force of the spool,wherein the braking force setting portion is configured to be capable ofdisplaying the casting results.

A braking force control system or a braking force setting device may beconfigured so that a spool braking force controller is capable ofcontrolling the time change in braking force, and a braking forcesetting portion is capable of setting the time change in braking force.

In a braking force control system or a braking force setting device, aspool braking force controller may be configured to be capable ofcontrolling the change of braking force according to the flying distanceof a fishing line, and the braking force setting portion is configuredto be capable of setting the change of braking force according to theflying distance of the fishing line.

A fishing reel includes a spool capable of winding a fishing line, aspool brake that brakes the spool, a spool braking force controllercapable of controlling braking force from the spool brake, and a brakingforce setting portion capable of setting the braking force of the spool,wherein the spool braking force controller is configured to set thebraking force based on a set value of the braking force from the brakingforce setting portion.

In a braking force setting program, a braking force setting portioncapable of setting the braking force of a spool may run on the brakingforce control system, the braking force setting device or the fishingreel described above.

It is thus possible to provide a fishing reel, a braking force controlsystem and a braking force setting device that can easily make detailedsettings of braking force, and can appropriately optimize castingconditions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a braking force control systemaccording to an example.

FIGS. 2(a)-2(g) comprise a diagram illustrating an outline of a castingprocedure upon casting according to an example.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for settingbraking force in a braking force control system and the like accordingto an example.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for settingbraking force in a braking force control system and the like accordingto an example.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for settingbraking force in a braking force control system and the like accordingto an example.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for settingbraking force in a braking force control system and the like accordingto an example.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an operation flow of displaying castingresults in a braking force control system and the like according to anexample.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an operation flow of displaying castingresults in a braking force control system and the like according to anexample.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an operation flow of displaying castingresults in a braking force control system and the like according to anexample.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a braking force control systemaccording to another example.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NUMERICAL REFERENCES

-   -   1 Fishing reel    -   2 Clutch    -   3 Spool    -   4 Operation portion    -   5 Spool brake    -   6 Spool braking force controller    -   8 Rotation detector    -   9 Microcomputer    -   10 External device    -   11 Braking force setting portion    -   13 Transmitter-receiver (transmitter)    -   14 Display    -   15 Braking force brake    -   16 Braking force controller    -   20 Second braking force setting portion    -   51 Eddy current generating plate    -   52 Fixed magnet    -   53 Rotating magnet    -   54 Motor    -   55 Gear train    -   56 Magnet position sensor    -   91 Target setting portion    -   92 Calculator    -   93 Storage    -   100 Braking force control system    -   101 Braking force setting device

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, examples will be described in detail with reference to theaccompanying drawings. Components common in a plurality of drawings aredenoted by the same reference numerals through the plurality ofdrawings. Each of the drawings is not necessarily scaled for convenienceof explanation.

First, a configuration of a fishing reel 1 according to an example willbe described with reference to FIG. 1 . As illustrated, the fishing reel1 includes a spool 3 that winds a fishing line, an operation portion(operation unit) 4 that rotates the spool 3, a clutch 2 that switchesfrom being transmissible to non-transmissible and vice versa between theoperation portion 4 and the spool 3, a brake (spool brake) 15 thatgenerates braking force to the spool 3, and a braking force controller(spool braking force controller) 16 that adjusts braking force.

Further, as illustrated, the fishing reel 1 includes a clutch detector(clutch detecting unit or clutch detecting portion) 7 that detects theavailability of power transmission of a clutch, and a rotation detector8 that detects the rotation of the spool 3. The clutch detector 7includes a magnetic sensor and the like, and a detected portion such asa magnet is provided in the movable portion of the clutch 2, therebydetecting a transmissible/non-transmissible state of the clutch 2. Therotation detector 8 can be configured by a combination of a detectionmeans such as a photo interrupter and a means to be detected such as alight shielding plate provided on the spool 3. This allows the rotationof the spool 3 to be converted into an electrical signal. Thecombination of the detection means and the means to be detected is notlimited to the above example, and a known means such as a magnet and amagnetic sensor can be used.

Further, the fishing reel 1 has a microcomputer 9 that processes varioussignals. The microcomputer 9 is supplied with power from a power sourcesuch as a battery (not illustrated), and includes, for example, a targetsetting portion (target setting unit) 91 that conveys the target brakingforce to the braking force controller, a calculator (calculation unit orcalculation portion) 92 that calculates casting results according to theoutput of a spool rotation sensor, and a lure information acquiringportion (lure information acquiring unit) 93 that acquires informationof a lure 20.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1 , an electronic device (also referred to as anexternal device, external information communication device, externalinformation communication device or the like) 10 includes a brakingforce setting portion (braking force setting unit) 11 that receivestarget braking force from the user, a transmitter-receiver(transmitting-receiving unit or transmitting-receiving portion) 13 thattransmits and receives set braking force information and castingresults, and a display means 14 such as LCD.

Next, each element constituting the fishing reel 1 will be described.The spool 3, which is rotatably supported with respect to the fishingreel 1, can wind a fishing line by forward rotation, and unreel thefishing line wound by backward rotation. The operation portion 4 isconfigured, for example, as a handle and transmits the rotationoperation by the user to the spool 3 through a transmission mechanismsuch as a gear so that the spool 3 can be rotated forward. Further, theoperation portion 4 may be a combination of an operation member such asa lever and a power source such as a motor.

The clutch 2 can switch between the ON state in which power can betransmitted to the spool 3 and the OFF state in which there is no powertransmission. In the ON state, the spool 3 can be rotated in the forwarddirection by an operation member 3 and, in the OFF state, it can berotated in the forward and backward directions regardless of the stateof the operation member 3 (spool-free state).

Next, an example of a procedure for casting and collecting fishing gearsuch as a lure using a general reel such as the reel will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 2(a)-2(g).

First, as shown in FIG. 2(a), the lure 20 is adjusted to a predeterminedlength from the rod tip by the operation member 3, and the clutch 2 (notillustrated) is turned off to make it a spool-free state. At this time,the spool 3 of the reel 1 is pressed by a thumb so that the fishing lineis not reeled out due to the self-weight of the lure 20 or the like.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 2(b) to 2(d), the initial speed is given to thelure 20 by swinging the fishing rod 1. Then, as shown in FIG. 2(e), thelure 20 can be cast when releasing the thumb from the spool 3 at thetiming where the lure speed and the unreeling direction becomeappropriate.

Further, after casting, as shown in FIG. 2(g) and subsequent figures,the lure 20 starts decelerating, receiving tension from the fishing lineand air resistance. On the other hand, the spool 3 starts rotatingbackward due to tension from the fishing line. When the unreeling speedof the fishing line coincides with the flying speed of the lure 20, thespool 3 rotates at a maximum speed, and the fishing line loses tension.The lure 20 continues to decelerate due to air resistance and the like.Then, if the spool 3 continues to rotate at a high speed due to inertia,the unreeling speed of the fishing line exceeds the flying speed of thelure 20. As a result, the fishing line is excessively reeled out, and isentangled in the reel 1. To avoid this, predetermined braking force canbe applied to the spool 3 by a braking device 15.

Thereafter, when the lure 20 is sufficiently lowered, it will land onwater. At this time, if the braking force from the braking device 5 istoo large, the casting distance of the lure 20 is shortened. On theother hand, if the braking force from the braking device 5 is too small,the fishing line is entangled, and the fishing line cannot be wound norreeled out normally. The desired value of the braking force may varyaccording to the mass of the lure 20 and air resistance, as well as thelength of the rod, casting method, natural environment such as wind, andother various factors. Especially, since the state of the fishing linedynamically changes during casting, making detailed settings isadvantageous to obtain desired braking conditions. In addition, graspingdetailed casting results makes it easy to control the braking force.

Next, a spool brake 15 will be described. The spool brake 15 isconfigured by a rotator-shaped eddy current generating plate made of aconductor attached to the spool 3, a fixed magnet disposed to face theeddy current generating plate, a rotating magnet that, along with thefixed magnet, sandwiches the eddy current generating plate from theopposite side of the fixed magnet, a motor that rotates and moves therotating magnet, a gear train that decelerates, and transmits to asecond permanent magnet, the driving of a motor, and a magnet positionsensor that detects the position of the permanent magnet (both notillustrated).

The outer peripheral portion of the fixed magnet is divided into sixequal parts that are alternately magnetized the N-pole and the S-pole.Further, the inner peripheral portion of the rotating magnet is dividedinto six equal parts that are alternately magnetized the N-pole and theS-pole. The magnetic field created by the fixed magnet and the rotatingmagnet penetrates the eddy current generating plate located therebetween(both not illustrated). Therefore, when the spool 3 rotates, an eddycurrent is generated in the eddy current generating plate, and brakingforce acts according to the rotation speed.

It is possible to change the magnetic field acting on the eddy currentgenerating plate by rotating the rotating magnet by the motor and thegear train (both not illustrated; the same applies hereinafter). Thus,the braking force can be set to a predetermined amount. That is, whenthe same poles of the rotating magnet and the fixed magnet are opposedto each other, the magnetic field applied to the eddy current generatingplate weakens, and the braking force is diminished. When the differentpoles of the rotating magnet and the fixed magnet are opposed to eachother, the magnetic field applied to the eddy current generating platestrengthens, and the braking force increases.

The magnet position sensor is a sensor that detects the position of therotating magnet, and includes a known position sensor such as a magneticsensor and an electric resistance-type sensor.

The braking force controller 16 conducts feedback-control of a motor bypassing a necessary current to a motor while monitoring the value of themagnet position sensor so that the predetermined braking force can beapplied to the spool 3. Thus, the braking force applied to the spool 3can be changed over time by the brake 15 and the braking forcecontroller 16.

The eddy current generating plate may be configured by part of the spool3. Further, the eddy current generating plate may have a predeterminedbraking force characteristic by relatively moving with respect to thespool 3 by the action of the centrifugal force according to the rotationspeed of the spool 3.

Further, the above-described brake 15 is not limited to the method usingan eddy current as descried above, and the same effect can be obtainedas long as the braking force can be adjusted by a microcomputer overtime. Other methods of the braking device are not limited to specificmethods, and include a method of generating regenerative brake between apermanent magnet attached to the spool and a coil provided in the reelbody, and a method of using a contact brake that changes the contactforce to a friction plate attached to the spool by an electromagneticactuator or the like.

The fishing reel 1 includes the spool 3 capable of winding a fishingline, the spool brake 15 that brakes the spool 3, and the spool brakingforce controller 16 capable of controlling braking force from the spoolbrake 15, wherein the spool braking force controller 16 is configured tohave a receiver (transmitter-receiver) 94 capable of receiving aninstruction from an external device, and to set braking force based onthe instruction as to the braking force received by the receiver 94 fromthe external device 10.

The fishing reel 1 makes it possible to easily make more detailedsettings of braking force, and accurately control casting conditions.

A braking force control system 100 is configured to include aninformation communication device 10 having the above-described fishingreel 1, a braking force setting portion 11 capable of setting thebraking force of the spool, and a transmitter 13 that transmitsinformation on the set braking force.

The braking force control system 100 makes it possible to easily makemore detailed settings of braking force from the outside, and accuratelycontrol casting conditions.

A braking force setting device includes the spool brake 15 that brakesthe spool, the spool braking force controller 16 capable of controllingbraking force from the spool brake 15, the rotation detector 8 of thespool, a casting commencement detector (not illustrated), a calculator92 that calculates casting results from a rotation history of the spoolfollowing the commencement of casting, and the braking force settingportion 11 capable of setting the braking force of the spool, whereinthe braking force setting portion 11 is configured to be capable ofdisplaying casting results. In the example in FIG. 1 , the braking forcesetting portion 11 is provided in the external device 10, but it may bealternatively provided in the fishing reel 1. In this configuration, thebraking force setting device can be incorporated into the fishing reel1. In this manner, a function for setting braking force can be easilyadded to a fishing reel.

The braking force setting device can provide a fishing reel, a brakingforce control system and a braking force setting device that can easilymake more detailed settings of braking force, and accurately controlcasting conditions.

In the braking force control system 100 or the braking force settingdevice, the spool braking force controller 16 and the braking forcesetting portion are configured to be capable of controlling the timechange in braking force, and of setting the time change in brakingforce, respectively.

In the braking force control system 100 or the braking force settingdevice, a spool braking force controller and the braking force settingportion are configured to be capable of controlling a change in brakingforce according to the flying distance of a fishing line, and setting achange in braking force according to the flying distance of the fishingline, respectively.

The fishing reel 1 includes the spool 3 capable of winding a fishingline, the spool brake 15 that brakes the spool 3, the spool brakingforce controller 16 capable of controlling braking force from the spoolbrake 15, and the braking force setting portion 11 capable of settingthe braking force of the spool, wherein the spool braking forcecontroller 16 is configured to set the braking force based on a setvalue of the braking force from the braking force setting portion 11.This makes it possible to provide the braking force setting portion 11shown in FIG. 1 in the fishing reel 1.

As described above, the braking force controller 16 sets braking forceby the braking force setting portion 11 executed on an electronic device10. The electronic device 10 can include, but is not limited to, a smartphone, a wearable terminal such as a smart glasses or smart watch, and apersonal computer.

Next, an example of a screen that sets braking force will be describedwith reference to FIG. 3 . Graph 1 in the figure shows past (last)casting results with the horizontal axis indicating the time elapsedfrom the commencement of casting, and the vertical axis indicating therotation speed of the spool 3. On the other hand, Graph 2 in the figureshows the settings of braking force with the horizontal axis indicatingthe time elapsed from the commencement of casting as with Graph 1, andthe vertical axis indicating set values of braking force. The axialdirection is defined so that the braking force becomes higher upward.

The user can set the time change in braking force while viewing thecasting results in Graph 1. For example, n elapsed time (t1 to tn) fromthe commencement of casting and the respective brake settings (S1 to Sn)are input. In the example shown in FIG. 3 , the set brake value isdefined by four combinations of time and braking force.

When the values are transmitted to the fishing reel 1 by a transmissionmeans 13, the braking force controller 16 adjusts the braking force tothe spool 3 over time in accordance with the set values. Incidentally,there is a limit to the changing speed of the set brake value, and thevalue is determined by the characteristics of the brake 5. As shown inGraph 2 in FIG. 3 , the setting of the brake is changed before the tn inaccordance with the amount of the change. Thus, it is possible to setcomplicated braking force conditions without providing an input portion(input unit) and a display (display unit or display portion) on the sideof the fishing reel 1.

Further, there is an advantage that braking force conditions can beeasily controlled by allowing the braking force conditions for the nextcasting to be set while displaying the past (especially, the last)casting results. This will be explained with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIG. 4 shows the casting results when the braking force was too largeand the flying distance did not increase, as well as the brakingconditions at that time. Graph 1 in the figure indicates the rotationspeed of the spool 3, with the solid line being the last castingresults, and the dotted line being ideal casting results. In the idealcasting results shown by a dotted line, a long flying distance isobtained with a gradual decrease in the speed. On the other hand, in thelast casting results indicated by a solid line, a long flying distancewas unable to be obtained as a result of a rapid speed reduction due totoo strong braking force at point A. In such a configuration, it ispossible to set more ideal braking force by weakening the braking forceat point A.

In this manner, ideal casting results and the last casting results maybe displayed at once. This makes it easier to understand how to set thebrake to increase the flying distance. The ideal casting results may bethe one with reference to past data when the maximum distance wasachieved under similar conditions, or may be stored in advance, forexample, when shipped from factory and be selected from among similarconditions.

Next, FIG. 5 shows casting results when the braking force was so smallthat a line was entangled, as well as the braking conditions of thattime. The braking force was too weak at point B so that the unreelingspeed of the line exceeded the speed of the lure, which caused theentanglement of the line. As a result, the line was unable to be reeledout from the spool 3, which caused a sudden deceleration. In such aconfiguration, more ideal braking force can be set by increasing thebraking force at point B (after unraveling the entanglement in theline).

Whether the braking force is excessively large or small can be judgednot only on Graph 1 but also on the state of the entangled line aftercasting. A skilled user can foresee the occurrence of line entanglementby feeling the slack in the line with a finger. However, it is difficultto accurately grasp the timing. As described above, it is possible toaccurately grasp the timing of the occurrence of line entanglement bydisplaying the casting results measured by the fishing reel 1, whichmakes it easier to set more appropriate braking conditions uponsubsequent castings.

Next, another example of a screen for setting braking force will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 6 . Graph 1 in the figure shows past(last) casting results with the horizontal axis indicating the unreeleddistance after the commencement of casting, and the vertical axisindicating the rotation speed of the spool 3. On the other hand, Graph 2in the figure shows the setting of braking force with the horizontalaxis indicating the unreeling time after the commencement of casting aswith Graph 1, and the vertical axis indicating set values of brakingforce. The axial direction is defined so that the braking force becomeshigher upward. The user sets the time change in braking force whileviewing the casting results in Graph 1.

In this example, the user inputs n unreeled distances (L1-Ln) after thecommencement of casting, and the respective brake settings (S1-Sn). Whenthe values are transmitted to the fishing reel 1 by the transmitter 13,the braking force controller 16 adjusts the braking force to the spool 3in accordance with the set values. That is, when the specified flyingdistance is obtained, the braking force is adjusted to the set value ofthat time.

Thus, the brake setting state can be switched in turn according to theunreeled distance after the commencement of casting. Thus, for example,when you want to apply a brake before an obstacle, if any, in thecasting direction, it is possible to increase the braking force beforerunning into the obstacle. Further, air resistance received by a fishingline changes in accordance with the length of the unreeled fishing line.Such an effect can be corrected by changing the brake settings accordingto the unreeled distance after the commencement of casting as describedabove.

Next, an operation flow that indicates casting results will be describedwith reference to FIGS. 7 to 9 . As shown in FIG. 7 , first, in step S1,a casting preparation commencement detector (casting preparationcommencement detecting unit or casting preparation commencementdetecting portion) that detects casting preparation detects whether thefishing reel 1 has commenced casting preparation. If the castingpreparation has yet to be commenced, the process returns to step S1.

When the casting preparation has been commenced, the process moves on tostep S2. In step S2, detection by the rotation detector 8 that detectsthe rotation of the spool 3 begins, and the distance is reset (L=0).

Next, in step S3, a rotation detector that detects the rotation of thespool 3 confirms whether or not the rotation of the spool is detected.If the rotation is detected, the measured value is increased by apredetermined distance (L=L+1), and then the process returns to step S3.A distance L may be a rotation amount of the spool 3 or an amount ofunreeled fishing line obtained by correcting the radius change of thespool 3.

In step S3, when the rotation of the spool 3 is not detected by therotation detector 8 that detects the rotation of the spool, the processmoves on to the next step. In step S4, a casting completion detector(casting completion detecting unit or casting completion detectingportion) 7 that detects the completion of casting detects whether or notthe casting is completed. If casting preparation has yet to becommenced, the process returns to step S3.

When the casting is completed, the process moves on to step S5. In stepS5, history data is generated by a history data generator (history datagenerating unit or history data generating portion) 8 that generateshistory data from the preparation to the completion of casting, and theprocess moves on to the next step.

In step S6, the history data generated in step S5 is stored in a storage(storing unit or storing portion) 9, or transmitted to the outside by acommunication processor (communication processing unit or communicationprocessing portion) described later. This allows the transmission ofinformation to an external device such as a PC, smart phone and otherreel, as well as the inspection and recording of data.

Here, history data will be described. The history data may be, forexample, a change of the distance L for each predetermined time, or maybe only the final flying distance L. It may also include the change ofspeed of the spool obtained by time differentiation of L, the timechange in the braking force, a maximum speed of the fishing line, and amaximum rotation speed of the spool. Further, daily casting history maybe recorded by totaling the number of times of casting on that day, orthe total casting data of the reel may also be recorded.

Next, a state at the time of the commencement of casting preparation ofthe fishing reel 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 8 . In thefishing reel 1, a casting preparation commencement detector 6 isconfigured to detect the commencement of casting preparation in theabove mentioned step S1, more specifically, when the clutch 2 is turnedoff (S1 a), when the spool 3 starts rotating in a fishing line unreelingdirection from a standstill (S1 b), when the reel is in a predetermineddirection (S1 c), when the angular velocity of the reel in apredetermined direction is equal to or greater than a set threshold(Sid), or when an input device such as a button is provided on the reel,and the user operates the input device when he/she wants to commencecasting preparation (S1 e). As described above, the casting preparationcommencement detector 6 can accurately detect the commencement ofcasting preparation by detecting any one of the above states.

Next, a state at the time of the completion of casting of the fishingreel 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 9 . In the fishing reel1, a casting completion detector 7 is configured to detect thecompletion of casting when the clutch 2 is turned on (S4 a), when apredetermined time elapses after the detection of the commencement ofcasting preparation (S4 b), when the rotation of the spool 3 is in awinding direction (S4 c), when the rotation speed of the spool is equalto or less than a threshold (S4 d), or when an input device such as abutton is provided on the reel, and the user operates the input devicewhen judging that casting is completed (S4 e). As described above, thecasting completion detector 7 can accurately detect the completion ofcasting by detecting any one of the above states.

Next, another example will be described with reference to FIG. 10 . Thefishing reel 1 has a second braking force setting portion 20. The restis the same as in the above-described examples. The second braking forcesetting portion 20 includes, for example, two membrane switches, one ofwhich is a + button (plus button) and the other of which is a − button(minus button). The method of realizing the second braking force settingportion 20 is not limited to the above, and a known means that can beattached to the reel body and that allows the user to perform thefollowing operations can be used.

As described above, it is possible to finely adjust the braking forceusing the second braking force setting portion 20 after setting thebraking force using the external device 10. This allows fine settings ofbraking force without bringing up the external device 10 to set thebraking force.

One example of the methods is to offset the braking force set by theexternal device 10 or the factory default setting of braking force usingthe second braking force setting portion 20. For example, assuming thatthe braking force is set by the external device 10 to:

(t1, t2, t3)=(0, 100, 500) (S1, S2, S3)=(5, 12, 10),

the set values are incremented by 1 as (S1, S2, S3)=(6, 13, 11) whenpressing the + button, and are decremented by 1 as (S1, S2, S3)=(4, 11,9) when pressing the − button. This allows fine adjustments by thesecond braking force setting portion 20 after making fine settings usingthe external device 10.

Another example of the methods is to prepare a plurality of sets of setvalues of braking force in advance using the external device 10, and tomake a selection from said plurality of sets using the second settingmeans. For example, assuming that the following settings are made:

Pattern 1: (t1, t2, t3)=(0, 100, 500) (S1, S2, S3)=(5, 12, 10)

Pattern 2: (t1, t2, t3)=(0, 100, 600) (S1, S2, S3)=(4, 12, 10)

Pattern 3: (t1, t2, t3)=(0, 100, 700) (S1, S2, S3)=(3, 12, 10)

Pattern 4: (t1, t2, t3)=(0, 100, 800) (S1, S2, S3)=(10, 15, 8)

and that the Pattern 2 is currently used, the Pattern 3 is used whenpressing the + button, and the Pattern 1 is used when pressing the −button. This allows fine adjustments to the set values of the brake bymanual manipulation only using the second braking force setting means.

The dimension, material and arrangement of each component describedherein are not limited to those explicitly described in the examples,and each component can be modified to have any dimension, material andarrangement that can be included within the scope of this disclosure.Further, components that are not explicitly described herein may beadded to the described examples, or some of the components described ineach example may also be omitted.

What is claimed is:
 1. A braking force control system comprising afishing reel and an information communication device, the fishing reelcomprising: a spool configured to wind a fishing line; a spool brakeconfigured to brake the spool; and a spool braking force controllerconfigured to control braking force from the spool brake, wherein theinformation communication device comprises: a braking force settingportion configured to set the braking force of the spool; and atransmitter configured to transmit information on the set braking force,wherein the spool braking force controller of the fishing reel comprisesa receiver configured to receive an instruction from an external device,wherein the spool braking force controller is configured to control thebraking force based on the instruction as to the braking force receivedby the receiver from the transmitter of the information communicationdevice, wherein the braking force setting portion of the informationcommunication device is configured to display past casting results andset braking force of the spool for a next casting based on the pastcasting results.
 2. The braking force control system according to claim1, wherein the braking force setting portion of the informationcommunication device is configured to set the braking force of the spoolfor the next casting based on a state of an entangled line that occurredduring a past casting.
 3. An information communication devicecomprising: a braking force setting portion configured to set a brakingforce of a spool; and a transmitter configured to transmit informationon the set braking force, wherein the braking force setting portion isconfigured to set the braking force according to a flying distance of afishing line.
 4. A fishing reel comprising: a spool configured to wind afishing line; a rotation detector configured to detect a rotation of thespool, a casting preparation commencement detector configured to detectcast preparation, a casting completion detector configured to detect acompletion of casting; and a history data generator configured togenerate history data from the cast preparation to the completing ofcasting, wherein the history data includes at least one of a change of aflying distance, a final flying distance, a change of speed of thespool, a time change in breaking force, a maximum rotation speed of thespool, or a totaling of results of a plurality of casting.
 5. Thefishing reel according to claim 4, further comprising a communicationprocessing unit, the communication processing unit being configured totransmit the history data to an external device.
 6. A fishing reelcomprising; a spool configured to wind a fishing line; a spool brakeconfigured to brake the spool; and a spool braking force controllerconfigured to control braking force from the spool brake, wherein thespool braking force controller is configured to control the brakingforce according to a flying distance of a fishing line.